Kitchen Organization in Historic Richmond Neighborhood

Client Transformations, Kitchen + Pantry

December 12, 2022

Early this fall we tackled organizing a small kitchen in the Ginter Park neighborhood of Richmond. The home was built in the early 1900s, and as tends to be the case with older homes, the storage space was minimal. To maximize storage, we used our favorite over-the-door organizers, under cabinet hanging baskets, and moved kitchen and pantry overflow into the basement.

Sorting and Editing

First, we sorted through all the pantry staples and kitchen items. We checked expiration dates and removed unneeded items such as duplicate gadgets and things the client no longer wanted or needed. The editing process is important with small spaces as you want to avoid clutter and reserve space for the things you use every day!

Optimize space with creative storage solutions

Because this space was small, we had to find creative solutions for storing and organizing. We added hanging baskets under the shelves to optimize the vertical space and sheet pan dividers to take advantage of narrow cabinets. We also added over-the-door shelving and clear acrylic bins in the pantry to group pantry staples and make it easy for this family to stay organized! Lastly, we wanted to create some moments in this kitchen that were functional but aesthetically pleasing. We decanted spaces into glass jars and created a spice cabinet in the open shelving by the stove.

Relocate lesser-used items

To help free up space in the cabinets and pantry, we relocated larger serving dishes and lesser-used appliances to the basement. They are still easily accessible for occasional use but are no longer taking up space that is better used for everyday items.

Label

The last step was to label all the bins in the pantry so this busy family could see exactly what they have and know where to find things and put them away.

The final result was a much more efficient kitchen with a designated space for everything this family needs!